Beyond Death's Door
by FanFicGuru
Summary: A new maverick has emerged...a maverick unlike any the world has known...and now a new connection will be made between X, Zero and this new hell-born threat: Mithrandiel
1. Default Chapter

Zero, Alia and Signas walked into the room slowly, the shadows seeming to cover the walls, leaving only a small bed lit.  
On this bed rested the world's greatest hero.   
He had seen endless battles, stared evil in the face, and stood in defiance.  
He had battled foes and friends, made enemies and allies.  
Now, he lie battered and broken...and ready for death.  
The three walked to the side of his bed, Zero standing on his right side, Alia and Signas on his left.  
"X...X can you hear me?" Zero asked softly, his heart greatly wounded at seeing his battle companion in a state such as he was.  
X groaned and turned his head slowly towards Zero, and using what seemed to be like all of his strength, nodded gently.  
Alia let out a quick sob and then brought her hand over her mouth, trying to detain her emotions as her eyes filled with tears.  
"Oh...X...I'm so sorry...the data...it was all..."  
Finally she was overcome and turned to run out of the room, slamming the door behind her as Signas winced and looked down at his most successful Maverick Hunter...now reduced to a gasping chunk of metal.  
Signas shook his head and sighed.  
"How it ever came to this...I do not wish to know...for whatever could do this to you X, I fear more than you could possibly imagine...what horrible power awaits us now that you are here...broken in this bed?"  
X took in a ragged breath as he gasped out the name of the horror.  
"Mith...ran...di...el..."  
With that, he passed out again, into a state of comatose.  
*  
(24 hours earlier)  
X looked onto his data reading device, with live feed from Alia.  
"X, this most recent Maverick is unusually powerful...it seems like he's almost on par with Sigma...and yet I've never picked up his energy signal before..."  
X nodded.  
"Yeah well, he's made his appearance known now...is Zero on his way?"  
Alia shook her head.  
"That's a negative X, Zero's busy on another mission, looks like you'll have to take this one on yourself."  
X smiled as he prepared his X buster.  
"All the more fun for me eh?"  
Alia shook her head with a tormented sigh.  
"If by fun you mean near death experience...ok. Just come back in one piece...please?"  
Alia pleaded with her eyes.  
X's smile softened as he looked back to her.  
"Of course...don't I always?"  
Alia giggled and shook her head.  
"You are too relaxed about these things...you should learn to stress more."  
X was puzzled at the last phrase.  
"I never heard that one before...alright Alia...I'll try. Now let me take care of the mission, I'll be back by 1900 hours."  
Alia nodded as the device shut off and X took off running towards his next target area.  
A remote jungle where he had battled a number of mavericks before...but even X had a feeling that this one was different...and something in his gut told him that it wasn't going to be a simple mission.  
Little did he know that it would be the last mission he would ever take.  
*  
Mithrandiel stood over his most recent kill, his sabre glowing gently as he sheathed it and turned to the eight others, ready to take on this beast that they encountered.  
"What the hell are you?!" One of them shouted, their own beam sabre unsheathed.  
Mithrandiel chuckled.  
"Every day, I am something different to every single person on this planet. Today...for you...I am your angel of death...tomorrow...for your families, I will be the bringer of grief and misery."  
The eight scowled fiercely as they each held their sabres tightly in their hands, waiting for the perfect moment to strike.  
Mithrandiel held out his buster cannon, and it began to hum.  
The eight all looked at each other with alarm and began to run but it was no use, the massive beam of energy engulfed the eight of them and disintegrated them instantaneously with its immense heat.  
Mithrandiel pulled back his buster arm and sighed.  
The maverick was most likely, by far, the most fearsome looking reploid any man or robot could ever have seen.  
It stood 8'7" tall, platinum colored armor with a helmet-like covering for the head that covered his face in shadow. In that shadow all that could be seen were two balls of red, glowing and contemplating at every moment...plotting death and destruction for all that surrounded him.  
"X should be arriving soon...then maybe I could have some fun..."  
Mithrandiel began to laugh, the birds flying off, far far towards the horizon as the horrendous bellows echoed through the forest and into the depths of the jungle.  
*  
Zero spun, slashing through another enemy maverick as their leader made its way to the head of the pack.  
"Hahah! So you must be Zero...the legendary maverick hunter!"  
Zero smirked, not really impressed with the supposed leader of these mavericks.  
"Yes I am, now if you would kindly point me in the way of your leader, I would appreciate that...and perhaps make your death a quick and painless one."  
The maverick snorted.  
"Ha! You think you are so clever...but I will show you that Shintoki Granthorn is not to be trifled with!"  
The maverick leapt into the air, unsheathing his sabre as he came down to meet Zero's with a tremendous explosion of colliding energies.  
Zero went into a backroll, pushing off of both feet into a tremndous leap as he held out his buster arm, firing three large blasts at Shintoki.  
Shintoki had rolled back a little more sloppily as he saw the three blasts coming he jumped to the left, avoiding to of them, the blast of the third sending him flying backwards into a nearby rock wall.  
Zero landed a few feet from the Maverick and spun, stopping his sabre about an inch from the mavericks neck.  
"Tell me...who is it that is having all of you cause havoc like you are?"  
Shintoki laughed.  
"Would you believe me if I said Sigma?"  
Zero grimaced.  
"Hell no...I know that Sigma is dead...dead for good."  
Shintoki nodded with a grin.  
"Yeah, I figured you wouldn't be that stupid.  
"Alright then...who are you working for?!" Zero demanded, Shintoki continuing to laugh.  
"Damn you..." Zero said quietly with malice as he brought the sabre across shintoki's neck and he finally dropped to the ground...blood seeping from the wound that he had just acquired.   
"Oh well...at least X won't have any trouble with these ones on his own...they're all rather weak."  
Suddenly Zero's information device lit up.  
"Zero....it's Alia. You'll want to get to these coordinates ASAP! X needs your help!"  
The coordinates flooded Zero's information device, giving him the precise location of X and a new maverick...a uniquely strong maverick.  
Zero felt something in his gut churn as he winced.  
"This isn't right...I have a bad feeling about this..."  
Zero said quietly as he began to venture towards the Coordinates.  
*  
X came upon the forest where the new maverick was supposedly hiding.  
Walking through the trees slowly it was dead silent...little did X know that the sound that surrounded his ears and filled his soul was the sound of death...it was closing in all around him, and yet he didn't even know.  
Suddenly from a few yards ahead of him a few trees shook and the large Maverick stepped out to stare down X.  
"You...you must be the new guy in town eh?" X asked with a smile, trying to maintain his composure in the presence of this uniquely haunting figure. For one of the very few times in his life, X was genuinely scared of this new creature.  
"You must be X...the legendary hunter..."  
X nodded slowly.  
Mithrandiel chuckled.  
"Good...perhaps now I will get a real fight!"  
Mithrandiel's sabre crackled and suddenly appeared in his left hand, his eyes still meeting X's as he smirked.  
X unsheathed Zero's old sabre, which had gotten an incredible upgrade by Alia and the other workers back at the maverick HQ.  
Mithrandiel's smirk faded from his visage as he growled.  
"Now...the project will be complete...and I will be proven the most superior of the Hendothrin!"  
X was caught off guard and blinked a few times before shaking his head and holding his sabre ready.  
"Dr. Light and Dr. Wily..they were nothing...they shadowed my master with their works, while he created a far more superior model...a far more superior creation...me."  
X gasped and took a shocked step back.  
"Dr. Crendor never got any attention...and now he'll get all the attention he could ever have wanted!"  
Mithrandiel exploded in an aura of flame as he held out his sabre.  
"By creating the entity that would bring ruin to you, Zero, and the rest of this world!"  
*  
(Year: 20XX)  
The government had notified the three scientists of their intentions to meet with them a month ahead of time, and the three scientists agreed to meet with the top government officials to discuss a confidential plan on the scale of national and global security.  
There was Thomas Light...renowned scientist most famously known for his expertise in the field of robots and their emotional abilities.  
Albert Wily was a good friend and colleague of Thomas Light's, and he also shared an incredible amount of expertise in the field of robots, and they engaged in many projects together.  
Finally there was Michael Crendor. He was a lone shark, many would say...and loved to be alone. Nonetheless, his work with robots was second only to light and Wily...so the government decided to call him in as well.  
The room was rather small, with a table that seated 14, two on each end and five on each side.   
Albert and Thomas sat on one end, Michael on the other end as eight men in suits walked in, the door closed behind them as they sat down.  
They looked back and forth between the three scientists.  
Finally, the apparent leader of the group cleared his throat and began speaking.  
"Gentlemen, we have called you here on a very urgent matter..."  
Light, Wily and Crendor all nodded.  
"You have all been called in for your extensive research and success with the field of robots and artificial intelligence, and your expertise is precisely why you are here."  
Light closed his eyes...not really sure if he should have come at all.  
"We have brought you here to assign each of you a specific task...a heavy task...yet important to the safety of our nation, and our world."  
The lights dimmed as a projector began showing 3-d images of three separate robot prototypes.  
"These...are the Hendothrin, as we've named them. They are the world's defense...the nation's defense...and their construction is being placed in your hands."  
Light, Wily and Crendor looked at each other for a moment, and then back to the agents.  
"So, you want us to create weapons of war for you?" Albert asked with a tinge of disgust.  
The head agent shook his head.  
"No...not for us...this is for the good of the world...I assure you."  
Thomas Light nodded.  
"Right, like the Atomic Bomb, and the Hydrogen Bomb..."  
Michael was the only one really considering as the agents continued talking with Albert and Thomas.  
"Dr. Light, Dr. Wily, listen...this may seem like a barbaric request...but one day soon we may be encountered with a race far beyond our own...and on that day would you rather be sending out human lives? Or robot armies?"  
This comment got to both Albert and Thomas as they stopped and closed their eyes, nodding.  
"That's right gentlemen...in the end it comes down to the human cost...and so I have given you each a Hendothrin prototype to complete...if it is successful, we will being massive production of the robot to help protect national and global borders...and you will be paid handsomely as well..."  
Thomas shook his head.  
"I would rather not take the money thank you...my nights will be troubled enough without blood money in my bank account..."  
The lead agent nodded.  
"Very well, if you do not wish to be paid, we can not force you...you will begin this project in one week, and I suggest to all of you that you clear your schedules for a while..."  
The scientists all stood and left the building, each returning to their labs..their hearts and minds weighed down by the burden laid upon them.  
*  
Thomas Light sat at his desk, looking over the specifications and model designs for Prototype X of the Hendothrin project.  
~Long range fighter...agile...incredibly adaptable...light frame for maximum power output...interesting~ Thomas thought as he went over the specs with great care and detail.  
*  
Wily placed the prototype Z on his counter as he took a seat and examined the properties of it.  
~Interesting...short range fighter. Incredible endurance and speed...learning curve...restricted...hmmm~  
Wily stood and turned as he headed towards his lab and began to input the core data to start the prototype process.  
*  
Crendor sat on his bed...the plans already sitting in his computer database as he thought to himself, trying to clear his mind and justify the works.  
Lying back with a tormented sigh he closed his eyes and began to daze off into the abyss of slumber...his eyes rolling to the back of his head as his brain started working overtime.  
Images and plans shot through his brain...tall and short robots...sabres and beam cannons and blasters and colors and internal mechanism details.  
Suddenly, a deep hissing suddenly filled his head with a terrifying sound...one that uttered the name of his new horrifying creation...  
Miiithraannnddieeelll   
Suddenly Crendor was jolted awake as he stood and began pacing, ideas racing through his head.  
His would be the ultimate being, he could tell...but the steps to getting there were steep and jagged...far more perilous than anyone could possibly imagine.Back in the hospital...in 24XX...  
X stirred with a moan as he opened his eyes slightly, the light above him causing him to squint from the radiance.  
Suddenly, a figure was standing over the bed...his long blonde hair hanging over his shoulder as he looked down at X.  
"X...can you hear me? It's Zero..."  
X nodded.  
"X...we need to get information on this new maverick...did you get anything in your information database during the fight?"  
X nodded again...holding out his right arm, a panel flipping up with a small disc inside.  
"Mith...ran...di..el...battle...data..."  
Zero took the disc with a smile.  
"Thanks X...don't worry, everything will be ok..."  
Zero turned and walked out slowly, leaving X to wallow in his pit of anguish, pain and suffering.  
*  
20XX:  
Michael thought it over the whole night through...and discovered a plan to create the third hendothrin.   
He set it into motion immediately.  
*  
Thomas Light stood in his lab, going over possible future projects when suddenly he heard the phone ring.  
"I'll get it..." Roll said as she walked to the phone and picked it up.  
"Hello?" Roll asked sweetly.   
"Hello...is a Dr. Light there...?this is Michael Crendor..  
Roll nodded and gave the phone to Dr. Light.  
"It's a michael Crendor Dr. Light..."  
Thomas blinked in amazement at first and then took the receiver slowly.  
"Michael?"  
Dr. Crendor chuckled.  
"Yes...I was wondering if you and Albert would like to meet me for lunch on friday with some ideas for these new robots..."  
Light blinked a couple of times...he never saw this proposition coming.  
"I see...Friday eh? That's in two days time...I think I could work it out...I'll tell Albert about it, I'm sure he'll come."  
Crendor nodded.  
"Good...it would be great if we could all meet and talk about this. I hope to see you then..."  
Thomas nodded.  
"It will be great. See you then Michael."  
Michael hung up and smiled...standing from the phone as he turned and walked into his lab slowly, looking over his most recent invention, picking up the tiny microchip and inspecting it with the greatest of awe at his own genius.  
*  
Wily turned on his videoscreen.  
"Yes? What is it Thomas?" Wily asked as he continued bustling around his laboratory, trying to get things in order for the long term project he had in   
store.  
Light cleared his throat.  
"Well, it seems as though Michael wants to meet with us on Friday...for lunch...to talk about the robots."  
Wily took the sentence little by little, digesting what he could until Light finally finished what he was saying and Wily stood from his crouched position and turned to the videoscreen.  
"You're...kidding right? That hermit wants to meet with us, and talk to us about this project?"  
Thomas nodded.  
"That's right, I was surprised too Albert...but I think that it would be a good idea."  
Wily smiled.  
"Good? That's the problem with you Thomas, you're far too trusting for your own good...I don't know if I want to go."  
Dr. Light sighed and looked Wily in the eye.  
"Come on now Albert, if you don't come along Michael will know something is wrong...we need to be able to cooperate on such a heavy task as this."  
Wily sighed and shook his head...uncertainty filling his visage.  
"I suppose..."  
Thomas smiled.  
"Good...then I'll see you then."  
Wily switched off the videoscreen, his work pace having slowed considerably.  
~I don't like this...I don't like this one bit...~ Wily thought as he shuffled around his lab.  
*  
24XX:  
Alia looked over the data screen, the world map having several signals bleeping from several different coordinates.  
"My god, this Maverick is insane! He's caused more damage in the last 24 hours than Sigma did in three months! The shipping dock in the Alpha district has been completely destroyed...the Gamma block has been torn through like tissue paper...and down in the Omega district Mithrandiel has basically torn apart the main hunter station."  
Zero scowled...first this monster sends his battle partner into a bed, now he's rampaging through his world, destroying lives guiltlessly.  
This must be stopped.  
Zero snarled and turned, heading towards the main doors as a scream was heard from behind him.  
"ZERO! PLEASE...DON'T GO!" Alia screamed as she leapt from her post and threw herself into his arms.  
She was sobbing heavily, her shoulders shaking as she stammered to get the words out.  
"Please...you can't...leave me..." she said with a shaking voice as her eyes, moist and tender, looked into his.  
"I don't...want to see you...get hurt."  
Zero smiled and helped her to her feet.  
"Dear Alia, do not worry...I will return, as I always have."  
Alia let out a loud sob.  
"That's just what X said!" she yelled, her tears now flowing freely as she fell to her knees.  
Zero didn't know what to say, he swallowed and knelt down next to her.  
"Alia, please listen to me...I promise I will come back to you...I won't let this monster destroy our world, the world we have fought so hard to protect...surely you understand?"  
Alia nodded as she swallowed back her own sobs.  
"I know Zero...I just...don't want to accept it..."  
Standing again, Zero lifted her to her feet.  
"Alia, you must be strong. You are the main information network at the Hunter HQ, and Signas may be leaving soon to deal with other Maverick problems while I'm dealing with Mithrandiel...so you need to be under control. Ok?"  
Alia nodded.  
"Ok..."  
Zero rubber her arms gently and hugged her.  
"Good..."  
Alia wrapped her arms around him and held him close for a long time, not wanting to let go...she didn't want to say goodbye.  
Time seemed to slow as Zero held her, the very essence of age and space seemed to disappear as they were in each other's arms, and for a moment they almost forgot about the chaos around them...until the alarm rang again, screeching and howling.  
Suddenly, Alia found herself standing alone, watching Zero run off towards the last battle he would ever fight.  
As the realization hit her, she shuddered visibly, and let out another loud sob of anguish that echoed through the corridors of the Hunter HQ...saddening all that heard it.  
*  
X lie in his bed, and groaned as he moved slightly, remembering the horror that was his fight with Mithrandiel 


	2. Farewellso longgoodbye my dear

"Who is this Dr. Crendor? What are you talking about?!" X demanded as he held his sabre steady...looking the monster in the eye.  
Mithrandiel snarled.  
"Your precious Dr. Light...and Zero's filthy Dr. Wily...nobody remembers the greatest of the three scientists...nobody ever does..."  
X shook his head in confusion.  
"What the hell are you talking about?! Who the hell is this Dr. Crendor?"  
Mithrandiel then turned away for a moment before moving his eyes back to X, slowly.  
In a slow, trance like manner, he began to speak.  
"Let darkness come and bring the night, for I will not give up my fight...I will remain and bring my blight..."  
X suddenly blinked and spoke simultaneously with Mithrandiel.  
"And all will fall beneath my might..."  
Mithrandiel smirked.  
X blinked again and shook his head.   
"What...what's going on?"  
"It's the code of the Hendothrin...it was placed inside of your information system...you know much less about yourself than I had imagined. I'm surprised you know who constructed you..."  
X's hold on his sabre loosened, his hand shaking visibly.  
"Whatever you are...whatever you think you know...it's all lies...I don't even know what a hendothrin is..."  
Mithrandiel's voice boomed with anger once more.  
"FOOL! Why do you deny your fate? You know exactly what a hendothrin is! That is the reason you have such instincts to destroy life...only that your instincts were tainted...configured in the likeness of Thomas Light...as Zero's were in Albert Wily's plans. Mine however, remained pure...and untarnished. I am a destroyer of life, plain and simple. I do not lean towards good or evil, I see all as targets, and you will all be crushed beneath my power."  
20XX:  
Wily and Light sat at the table of the Deboun'eir (Deh-bone-air) restaurant looking around for Crendor.  
"Do you think that it's a good idea we meet in a place like this?" Thomas asked with a touch of concern, looking around carefully.  
Albert chuckled.  
"Of course, that way if he decides to kill us we'll have plenty of witnesses..."  
Thomas looked to him with a sigh.  
"That's not funny Albert...I'm sure he just wants to share some of his ideas..."  
Wily chuckled and shook his head.  
"Right...just share some ideas on a top secret military project...sure."  
Suddenly they both noticed Michael walk in and they waved for him to come over.  
"Over here Michael..." Thomas said warmly as Crendor began walking towards them.  
He had with him a black attache' case...with some loose files and papers hanging from it.   
"Hello gentlemen..." Michael said as he sat down.  
His eyes were sunk in...it seemed as though he hadn't slept at all within the last 72 hours.   
"Michael, you look like crap." Albert said candidly as Thomas scolded him with his eyes.  
Crendor simply laughed.  
"Yes, I know...all my time has gone into this project, which is why I'm rather excited to present you with this new chip I've developed..."  
Michael reached into his case and pulled out a small chip...a single green beacon in the center of it.  
"This is my newest discovery...this chip enhances the robot's speed, strength and stamina over 400%."  
Thomas and Albert looked to each other, then slowly looked back to Crendor.  
"You're kidding right? 400%? Where the hell did you get these numbers?" Albert asked with great doubt as he looked over the chip.  
"All of the data is right here..." Crendor said as he took out the sheets of data he had brought with him.  
"I just thought that you could use this in your robots...that way, all of them would be right on par with each other by the time they're ready for mass-production."  
Thomas nodded, but his soul was troubled.  
Albert continued looking over the data, his visage growing more and more distressed as he discovered that the chip would indeed do as Crendor said.  
"This is...unbelievable..." Albert said softly as he put down the data.  
Crendor smiled.  
"That means a lot Dr. Wily...I hope you'll use the chip in your new robots..."  
Crendor left another chip beside the first one he put down and stood.  
"That's all I had to say for this meeting, we can reconvene on another date. Until then gentlemen..." Crendor bowed out and walked out the door.  
Thomas and Albert stared at the chips for a long while and thought.  
~What is this...? Some kind of sick joke? What is Michael hiding?~ Albert thought, not sure what to make of the green horn's most recent and amazing invention.  
~This new chip...this new power...it far surpasses anything I could ever dream...I fear for all of us now, and the uncertain future of these monsters that may be spawned from our pursuits...I fear that Shiva shall come from all of this...the destroyer of worlds...~  
The men took the chips reluctantly, and went back to their labs.  
*  
Michael walked into his lab and began laughing hysterically.  
"This is it...they took it...and now with their help, I will create the most powerful robot in the world!"  
Michael turned on the sensor device as it picked up the green beacon from both of the chips as it sat in the doctors' labs'.   
"Now, as soon as they install it into their robots, the information will flood my computer, and all of their specifications and weaknesses will be mine to exploit..every trait and detail down to the last wire will be mine for the taking!"  
Michael continued to laugh as he flipped a final switch and the machine began extracting information.  
*  
24XX:  
X snarled as he continued to stare down Mithrandiel.  
"I won't let you destroy the world I've fought so hard to protect! Never!"  
X leapt at Mithrandiel again and spun, trying to slash at his neck, only to have him step back and then lunge forward with his blade, attempting to impale X.  
X spun out of the way as the blade went by him harmlessly, but then Mithrandiel brought his elbow into X's face, hard...and sent him flying back into a nearby tree as he turned to face him.  
"All of this excitement for a pathetic little worm like you...I was looking forward to more of a challenge...then again...you are a flawed creation..."  
Mithrandiel's laughter picked up as he held his sabre tightly, and tore into X, slashing him over and over, beating in his face and landing heavy punches all over X's body that not only damaged his body, but with each blow he lost his pride...and his ability to protect others.  
Mithrandiel stood back as he looked down at the broken, battered soul...and spit on him.  
"Filthy insect...I've had harder times with little girls..."  
Mithrandiel walked away, disgusted, leaving X on the brink of death as Zero suddenly appeared and ran him back to the hospital.  
Mithrandiel stood outside of the boundaries of the forest...his eyes closed as he was lost in deep thoughts...his very being seeming to have recessed back into the shadows of reality.  
Why...why is it that the Hendothrin has disappointed me so? Surely that isn't the mightiest that the world has to offer...   
Mithrandiel opened his eyes suddenly in realization.  
"He wasn't even fighting..." he whispered to himself...before snarling and shouting it out again with utter rage.  
"HE WASN'T EVEN FIGHTING!"   
Mithrandiel unsheathed his sabre and thrusted it into the ground as hard as he could as cracks suddenly shot forward from where the blade had entered, the ground becoming unstable under his feet as he grimaced and leapt into the air, landing on a high branch in a nearby tree...looking down to the small canyon he had created.  
"And now..." Mithrandiel began to realize in his livid state  
"...the little insect is resting in some hospital, if not dead...and I've lost the chance to prove my power for good...once and for all as the leader of the hendothrin!"  
Suddenly the radar on Mithrandiel's right arm alarmed.  
Mithrandiel looked to it quickly.  
"What's that? The Z prototype Hendothrin is on its way..."  
Mithrandiel's visage suddenly took on a haunting smile as his eyes gleamed red.  
"Perfect..."  
*  
Alia had washed her face and calmed herself before returning to her post, her voice still cracking with emotion as she began to bark out orders.  
"Nathan! Get the Epsilon sector ready for Mithrandiel's next attack! Alexander! Send out the remaining hunter forces that we have to surround Epsilon's borders...they will be led by..."  
Suddenly a deep voice filled the room.  
"...me." Signas said softly.  
Alia whirled around to see Signas and sighed softly.   
Why is it that all the men that I have ever cared for are suddenly looking to end their lives needlessly? Alia thought with a moan of sorrow.  
Signas looked to Alia.  
"You heard me, have the remaining hunter forces join me at Epsilon Sector's borders...I assume that Zero is already on his way to meet Mithrandiel?"  
Alia winced, remembering their farewell but only about half an hour earlier.  
After the emotional blow Alia nodded solemnly.  
"Yes...he has gone out to neutralize the situation."  
Signas nodded.  
"Very well, we shall serve as Plan B...have the men ready and waiting for me out front in five minutes..."  
Signas turned and walked back to his office, getting ready for battle as Alia leapt to her task, arranging the commanders and remaining hunters to the front of the building.   
They all stood proudly outside of the HQ, Signas walking out slowly with the dignity of a lord. The reploids bowed their heads in respect as Signas passed them by, and finally as he took to the head of the group, signaled for them to begin marching. Marching towards Epsilon.  
As Alia watched them leave, only left with a dozen workers after the hunters had gone, she began to weep again...this time from the very depths of her anguished soul...  
while Zero came face to face with the very evil that so many were falling to that very day.Mithrandiel made his way across the forest at incredible speeds, barreling through trees and sending them crashing to the ground as he tore through the landscape like a rampaging behemoth.  
Very soon now...I shall encounter the hendothrin that will offer me a true challenge. I will meet the true fighting hendothrin, the bloodthirsty, chaotic hendothrin. The hendothrin destined to die, by my hand.   
Mithrandiel chuckled as he picked up speed even more and made his way out of the other side of the forest...bringing himself to a dead stop as he looked out over the plains, awaiting his challenger.  
Come now my hendothrin...come now and face your fate!   
Mithrandiel chuckled to himself as the birds and animals behind him in the forest began stampeding in the opposite direction.  
Evil was present.  
*  
Zero stopped as he looked towards the forest, and there...far in the distance, he saw his enemy, standing proudly, with his sabre in hand as he shouted across the vast distance with enough power to cause the mightiest of warriors to cower in fear.  
"Come forward Hendothrin of the blade! We have a score to settle, do we not? Come forward...bring what you can and show me what a hendothrin can really do!"  
Zero was heaving in anger...breaking into a sudden sprint he appeared a few feet in front of mithrandiel within a few seconds.  
"I see...you must be pretty upset, what with me bashing your friend like a rag doll. Perhaps you can have your vengeance?"  
Mithrandiel chuckled as Zero began to shudder with fury.  
"Or perhaps not...perhaps you will meet your end here...like X has...at the end of my sabre. Though...I doubt you will plead for mercy like X did before I punched his face in...the sorry little worm..."  
Zero suddenly felt something snap deep within his systems...something come alive that hadn't awoken in over 400 years.   
He was free.  
*  
20XX:  
Wily stood over the basic skeletal outline of the Z prototype and sighed.  
It had been over eight months since Crendor had given Wily and Light their chips for the prototypes. And things had begun to deteriorate between the two former best friends, Thomas Light and Albert Wily. Wily continued to grow more and more contempt for Thomas day after day, and had taken a side-project to developing another robot, not nearly as sophisticated as the Z prototype...but enough to fit his...purposes for the time being.  
*  
Thomas Light stood in front of his completed creation...Rockman. Looking down on the body he smiled as he activated the final switch, and a hero was born. Light knew that troubled times were ahead...and what the future had in store he did not know. For although he was a brilliant scientist, he could not predict the future.  
Rockman grew used to his home quickly as Thomas kept going back to his X prototype...working a little slower than Wily, but for good reason. This was no robot any more...with Thomas Light's ability to integrate more humanlike emotions, this was far more.   
This being... Light thought to himself, walking around the table with the basic skeleton of his most daring project.  
This being will become a great champion...the greatest the world has ever known. The question is...what will he fight for? What will guide him?  
I just pray that he is not lead down the road of evil, for if he is...god have mercy on the generations that must experience his horrors.   
Light sighed and made up his mind at that moment to seal away his creation after he was completed, until the Prototype X could decide its own path...and pick its own future.  
*  
Crendor sat in his lab, reviewing the final drawn properties of his beauty...the Y prototype hendothrin.   
They haven't gotten to the armor and weapons yet, those other two...but as soon as they do all of the information on their works will be flowing to me..and they'll be too busy fighting amongst each other to notice it! Of course...I will have my creation come some time later...it will take about 40 years...yes...40 years sounds right...  
Crendor chuckled to himself as he looked over the sketches and data.  
It will be incredible...a feat of mankind, for eternity!  
24XX:  
  
Zero stood across from Mithrandiel as suddenly something snapped within him.  
Zero suddenly shut his eyes and fell to his knees...the power rushing back. The power of his former self coming back in a wave of tremendous energy as the sabre he held went to a sky blue, then grew darker and darker to a naby blue, and then back to sky blue as he stood slowly.  
The hendothrin had awoken. The Z prototype had finally attained what it was created for.  
Zero suddenly began to speak.  
"Let darkness come and bring the night..." he spoke as he held out his sabre and began to walk towards Mithrandiel.  
"...for I will not give up my fight."  
Mithrandiel stood ready...his sabre humming softly.  
"I will remain and bring my blight..."  
Zero stopped about three feet from Mithrandiel as he stared him down.  
"For I will not...give up...my fight!" Zero shouted as he leapt towards Mithrandiel, spinning as he sent a tremendous wave of energy towards Mithrandiel.  
Mithrandiel held up his blade as the energy reflected off of his blade, but he was sent rolling backwards with a grunt.  
Zero began running, pursuing Mithrandiel as he made his way back onto his feet and charged...bringing his sabre down to meet Zero's as they looked over their sabres at one another.  
"So...you think by simply realizing what you were created for after all of these years will help you fight me? You are a fool...I will destroy you still...and your friend still would have died in vain."  
Zero snarled.  
"Wrong...before this day is done my Sabre will have seen the insides of your system...you will not win this one Mithrandiel. I won't let you..."  
Mithrandiel scoffed.  
"You don't have much choice in the matter! Pathetic worm!"  
Mithrandiel growled and held out his cannon, firing a large blast of energy at Zero as he rolled to the left and pushed off of his back foot into a front-flip, extending his foot to connect with Mithrandiel's head, and so it did as he went flying backwards.  
Mithrandiel put his sabre into the ground and pushed off of it into a backflip as he landed on one knee.  
"Damn persistant prototype...I'll show you why I was destined to be the greatest of the three!"  
Mithrandiel input a command on his buster cannon arm as he closed it and smiled. Suddenly his cannon formed into a blade, glowing with a light blue aura. He held it out and fired a blast of energy at Zero before rushing, slashing at him with his sabre, spinning to attempt to slash him again with his newly formed Sabre arm.  
Zero held out his own cannon, firing a blast of energy to null the blast fired at him from Mithrandiel. Bringing up his sabre to take the slash from Mithrandiel as he leapt back, the sabre arm humming through the air as Zero moved in and brought his knee into Mithrandiel's midsection, hard...Mithrandiel doubling over slightly, but not long enough before throwing out his left hand and sending Zero flying backwards before he had a chance to finish him off  
Zero backflipped from the force of Mithrandiel's hand, landing on one knee and then falling over into a roll as he stood and held out his sabre.  
"I will not leave this place until you are strewn across this battlefield Mithrandiel..."  
Zero said with a snarl.  
Mithrandiel chuckled as he pulled back his sabre and held his sabre-arm in front of him, striking a unique fighting position.  
"Then you will never leave this place..."  
Mithrandiel pushed off of his front foot this time into a tremendous leap at Zero, spinning wildly as he slashed at him four times, first coming around with his sabre, slashing at Zero's chest, his sabre-arm then slashing at his midsection, spinning around as he brought the sabre back around to slash at Zero's head followed by his sabre-arm to attempt to decapitate Zero.  
Zero moved quickly and accurately, bringing up his sabre he blocked the slash to his chest and went into a backroll as the second slash went by harmlessly, Mithrandiel moved in closer though as his sabre came towards his head he ducked, with the sabre arm just barely missing the top of his head as he thrusted viciously outward, hoping to impale Mithrandiel.  
The sabre struck true as it tore through Mithrandiel's middle.  
"Game over..." Zero said with a smirk as he pushed the sabre out sideways, tearing open a massive hole in Mithrandiel's middle.  
Mithrandiel howled with great pain as he clutched the now empty spot on his left side...falling over with a gasp.  
*  
In the meantime, back on the hospital bed...X drifted off into that realm of oblivion. The shadows grew larger as his eyes rolled to the back of his head, and the alarms on his vital systems began to ring with the screech of a siren.  
*  
Zero stood over Mithrandiel...still shuddering with rage as he lifted the sabre to finish him off.  
Mithrandiel began to chuckle.  
Zero scowled.  
"What's so funny? You want to die with a smile on your face?"  
Mithrandiel shook his head as he lifted his hand and pointed behind Zero.  
Zero turned slowly...and was horrified at what he saw.  
Zero stared at the figure for quite some time, what seemed to be years as his gaze pierced the other figure's eyes.  
He couldn't believe it...he just couldn't. 


	3. Names long forgotten, skills renewed

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
*  
20XX:  
Thomas had finished the final specifications analysis for X as he stood over the computer monitor...reading up on his speed, strength and endurance.  
The thought readout numbers are unbelievable...the A.I system is either much more effective than I could have dreamed, or faulty...   
Thomas went over the possibilities, the decisions that X could make.   
Right and wrong, good and evil, far more complex decisions than any of the current robots could possibly dream. In that ability lies all the danger any of us could dare to imagine...the type of Artificial Intelligence that supercedes our own human emotions...the ability to be swayed one way or the other by the forces of good or evil...  
Thomas paced back and forth anxiously, the new revelation had caught him completely off-guard. So much in fact, that the very project was in danger of being canceled by Thomas himself.  
*  
As Thomas Light read his read-outs on X, Albert Wily was reading the status reports on his creation, Zero.  
Amazing, everything I could have hoped...and that fool Crendor helped me even more with that chip...no doubt that my model will be the superior one. Let's see...close range combat STAT set to 234...long range STAT at 185...hmmm endurance set to 193 and intelligence STAT at 210...  
Wily's eyes finally reached the A.I read-out STAT.  
He dropped the paper instantly as if it were some smoldering coal from the flames of hell.  
"999!!?? How in the hell could the Artificial Intelligence level be 999? That puts it on the same emotional plane as a human being...with the decisive capabilities of a human with conflicts and biases! This can not do for a soldier such as this!"  
Wily suddenly shouted as he turned and ran his hands through the thinning hair on his head.  
What could explain the A.I hike? None of the components I have designed could accomedate such a monstrous A.I readin...  
Wily stopped as it seemed he was hit by a truck with the realization.  
CRENDOR!!   
*  
Crendor stood chuckling to himself as he finished the final touches on his masterpiece.  
"Now then my precious Mithrandiel, you must take a nap..but when you awaken we will take the glory that was rightfully ours since the beginning."  
Crendor began to input the time for Mithrandiel's sleep when suddenly there was a vicious slamming on the door.  
"Crendor! What the hell have you done to my project?!" Wily shouted as Crendor's finger slipped and he pressed the 0 twice, setting the sleep time from 40 years to 400 years, it was confirmed and the capsule slid into its resting place.  
Crendor fell to his kness.  
"NOOO!" he yelled as suddenly a blast of plasma tore through his door and Crendor turned, seeing a small black robot with its plasma cannon aimed at his head.  
Wily was heaving with rage as he walked up from behind the black robot.  
"Crendor...what have you done? What else was on that microchip?!"  
Crendor chuckled and stood.  
"A little program I made...as well as a remote control information downloading system."  
Wily's breath stopped in his throat at the latest shock from the lone shark.  
"That's right Albert...I have all of the data on your little experiment...and Thomas's too. And because of that, now my machine will be the greatest of all of them!"  
Crendor began to laugh as the black robot looked back to its master and Wily nodded slowly.  
"No matter Crendor, I will simply re-design..."  
"Re-design your experiment? Hardly Albert...there was one more little surprise. The chip I've installed has quickly covered all of the other parts installed into the robot with a special shielding...pieces can not be modified or taken out now. Only added in. What you've created can not be taken back now!"  
The black robot fired its cannon and Crendor met his end quickly and painlessly as Wily howled in tormented anguish.  
"Damn it! Damn that infernal Crendor!"  
Wily waved dismissively to the black robot as it began to tear through the lab mercilessly with the help of its robotic dog companion.  
"And make it snappy Bass! We have work to do!" the old voice shouted as it walked away in a fury.  
*  
24XX:  
There in front of Zero's eyes...was Mithrandiel. Full-bodied...in new working order. With a menacing snarl on his face.  
"You actually thought you were fighting the real Y hendothrin prototype? You are more foolish than I thought..."  
Mithrandiel unsheathed his sabre...glowing red and twice as long as Zero's was.  
"Now I will show you the real hendothrin's fighting power!"   
Zero slashed at the Mithrandiel's fell silent, its head rolling away slowly as Zero snarled and stood slowly  
Mithrandiel took one small step towards Zero and then broke into a sudden unbelievably blinding sprint...holding out his elbow as it caught Zero in the midsection as he doubled over with a grunt, Mithrandiel leaping back and bringing his left knee up into Zero's chin, sending him flying backwards.  
"You expect to defeat me? You pathetic scrap of tin foil... even my copy can hold a fight against you, and it's not even 50% of my true power...so what chance do you think you have?"  
Zero growled as he stood slowly.  
"The same chance that X had in defeating Vile...and Sigma...I shall make truth of impossibility. So help me on the battered body of my comrade!" Zero held out his buster arm as he fired three blasts before leaping into the air and coming down towards Mithrandiel with his Sabre ready to slice him in two.  
Mithrandiel spun and sliced the energy blasts in half as they flew off harmlessly...he then brought up his own sabre to block Zero effortlessly with a menacing smile.  
"There shall be no truth in this impossibility my friend...the only thing that awaits you now is a slow and painful death!"  
Mithrandiel pushed off of Zero's sabre as Zero went into a backflip and landed on one knee, pushing off of his back foot into a sprint at Mithrandiel...who saw it coming and had his sabre ready for Zero.   
The sabre tore into the side of Zero's neck, stunned by the pain Zero spun to the opposite side and threw down his right hand into a handspring to the right side into a sideroll and grimaced in pain.  
"Damn..." he said with a snarl.  
Standing slowly Zero closed his eyes as his main power units began to hum quietly and he slowly pushed his sabre into the ground.  
"What's that? You actually think you'll do any damage with that special attack of yours?"   
Zero was caught off guard by Mithrandiel's knowledge of his ultimate attack.  
"I know..." Mithrandiel said with a smile.  
"Let's make it a little more interesting shall we?"  
Mithrandiel threw out his arms as his sabre went out and rolled a few times on the ground..and his armor began to move.   
Replacing and moving around, making mettalic gnashing sounds as the color changed, Mithrandiel began to resemble someone Zero knew very well indeed.  
Zero watched in stunned horror as from this enemy came his closest friend.  
X.  
The sabre then returned to Mithrandiel's hand as he took on a stance familiar to X's fighting style when he wielded a sabre.  
"You...how dare you use the style of my friend against me..."  
Mithrandiel smiled menacingly.  
"All is fair in love and war Zero...You should realize now that I am the ultimate warrior...I have the skills of both you and X put together, and then some.There's nothing you can do now but close your eyes and wait for the inevitable death that awaits."  
Zero was certainly phased by this latest development as he realized that this whole fight may be fruitless indeed.  
*  
X's body lie quiet on the table. All life having left his body when suddenly something strange happened.  
Vital signs picked up dramatically as the leg stirred.  
Armor plates began to solidify and re-place themselves as the repairs were done within a matter of minutes.  
X stood, different and ready for one last fight.  
Deep in the recesses of his mind, he could hear Dr. Light talking to him...helping him to gather the strength to make one last stand.  
To end Mithrandiel...and all that he stands for.  
*  
20XX:  
  
Deep in the recesses of the government building that the three scientists had met in years earlier, the collection of higher ranking officials sat around a table to discuss the horribly wrong outcomes of the Hendothrin project.  
"It seems as if we have lost all three prototypes. Prototype X had been given to Thomas Light. It turns out that his home laboratory has been destroyed, and he was found dead about 48 hours ago. Prototype Y was taken by Michael Crendor. He was killed some 6 months ago by an unknown assassin. Found with his head blown off in his lab.  
Prototype Z was taken by Dr. Wily...who has disappeared completely, his prototype along with him.  
Gentlemen...I'm afraid we have no other choice but to abandon this project and cut our losses."  
The man sat down. He was a rather elderly gentleman...with rows of honors and medals along his left breast.  
"General...cutting our losses now? I think its a bit too late for that...these models and other resources have cost us nearly 3 trillion dollars. What will the public think if we tell them that almost all of their tax dollars for the last decade have been going to a project that ended with no progress whatsoever?!"  
The general nodded.  
"I understand your argument completely...which is why we've had this special project hiding beneath the Hendothrin project to satisfy the taxpayers..."  
The general flicked on the main projector as a large 3-d model of a floating space station was shown.The men all fell silent.  
"Yes...we've been working on a space colony under this Hendothrin project...this way, when the public sees what we've done, we won't be hanging from the gallows, and instead the people will be happy with our progress."  
The men all nodded and looked to each other with a smile.  
Zero went flying backwards again...the many open wounds on his body stinging as if hellfire was being constantly fired into them.  
"How long will you continue this needless suffering Zero? Simply lie down and die!" Mithrandiel yelled, standing about 15 feet from Zero, who lie on the ground, taking in shallow breaths as it pained him beyond verbal description to simply breathe.  
"Let darkness come..." Zero began to say with great effort as he staggered to his feet.  
"...and bring the night. For I will NOT...give up...my fight." Zero stumbled sloppily towards Mithrandiel.  
"I will...remain and bring....my blight..."  
Zero unsheathed his sabre   
"And all will fall beneath my..."  
suddenly Mithrandiel made a quick motion forward as he drove his sabre through Zero's middle.  
Zero stopped suddenly with shock...looking down as he saw the sabre in his middle.  
Looking back up to Mithrandiel he snarled.  
"...might!" he yelled as he began to slash, but Mithrandiel wasted no time and yanked the sabre upwards, slicing Zero in two from the waist up...the red hunter falling over with a crash and great explosion.  
Mithrandiel began to smile slowly...the smile slowly growing into a mad chuckle...evolving into a horrifying laughter that stung the very air with its evil.   
And then, he sheathed his sabre, turned...and began to walk away.  
As Mithrandiel walked away...his name suddenly filled the air and he stopped cold, as if running into a solid wall...  
"MITHRANDIEL!" The voice screamed in an inhuman voice that seemed to make the earth itself tremble with its sheer authority.  
Mithrandiel turned slowly and faced a figure that he had indeed fought before...but did not realize immediately.  
"Who are you to know my name...? And do you know who you are dealing with?"  
The figure smiled slowly.  
"I am the one you have been searching for. I am your end Mithrandiel. The one who can deny your seat as the most powerful hendothrin."  
Mithrandiel chuckled.  
"And who are you to know of the hendothrin? You certainly are a well educated worm..."  
The figure shook his head slowly.  
"Do you forget me so easily? Look closer Mithrandiel...stare into the eyes of the one who will bring your destruction..."  
With that, the figure gazed into Mithrandiel's eyes...Mithrandiel studying long and hard before realizing the full picture and taking a small step back.  
"You...I killed you..."   
The figure shook his head slowly.  
"You killed X. You did not kill the hendothrin."  
"Then who are you?"  
Mithrandiel asked with a perplexed visage.  
"I am Andolin...first, and ultimate hendothrin."  
Mithrandiel grimaced and reached for his sabre.  
"You are indeed foolish to say such bold statements in the face of death himself."  
Andolin chuckled and shook his head as he took a step forward.  
"You give yourself far too much credit Mithrandiel. Simply because you defeated Nerindor..."  
Mithrandiel shook his head with confusion.  
"Who is Nerindor?"  
Andolin pointed to the burning body nearby...the corpse of the one many called Zero.  
"You took Zero as his real name? Then you are the fool my friend..."  
Mithrandiel had now unsheathed his sabre, breathing deeply in rage as he held it out towards Andolin.  
"Why is it that you know all of this information? How do you know our names and how do you have such calm in my presence?!"  
"I have told you...I am the first...and therefore the supreme hendothrin. I have no limit."  
Mithrandiel snarled.  
"Then why weren't you present during our first battle?"  
Andolin smiled.  
"I can only come out once in this vessel, or any vessel for that matter. The power exerted extracts all life from the vessel I use, and thus this body will perish once my mission is completed."  
Mithrandiel's face became dead serious as his visage fell cold.  
"And what mission is that?" he asked, knowing the answer full well in his head.  
Almost as if on cue, Andolin smiled and shook his head.  
"You know damn well what the mission is Mithrandiel...and now we've wasted enough time. The world shall know of you no longer...it ends here!"  
Andolin threw out his arms as suddenly the backplates of the armor opened up twice outwards and formed two large metallic wings.  
Taking out two small sabre-daggers Andolin spun them around effortlessly and with the ease of a true master.  
Mithrandiel watched this amazing demonstration, and for the first time in his existence felt his first real human emotion.  
Fear.  
Mithrandiel re-tightened his grip on the sabre in his hand.  
"I will not be denied my destiny...I refuse!"  
Andolin then held the sabre-daggers his right hand extended outwards with his left hand by his head.   
"You don't have much choice..." Andolin said quietly.  
Mithrandiel charged and spun towards Andolin, slashing at his neck with his sabre.  
Andolin brought his right hand, back and used the dagger to block the slash easily, lunging forward with the left dagger towards Mithrandiel's middle.  
Mithrandiel's left hand shot across and caught Andolin's wrist, stopping the sabre about an inch from his midsection.  
Andolin smiled and pushed off of Mithrandiel's sabre with his right dagger and while Mithrandiel was caught off guard he hurtled his weight over his shoulder with his left hand.  
Mithrandiel flew through the air and before crashing to the ground he flipped forward and attempted to land on one knee...sliding out into a lying position as the dust created a small cloud around his body.  
Andolin walked towards Mithrandiel again slowly...the sabres filling the air with their soft hum.  
"What is it that you wish to prove Mithrandiel? Why couldn't you simply be happy being second best?" Andolin said quietly as he walked towards Mithrandiel.  
Mithrandiel stood slowly...his eyes closing before he turned and opened them slowly, revealing two black irises.  
"Because I'm not second best...I was not made to be second best. I was made to be the ultimate fighter...the greatest Hendothrin of them all..."  
Andolin stopped a few feet from Mithrandiel.  
"And do you still think that you can keep that title?"  
Mithrandiel smiled as he blinked and held out his left hand...as soon as he made a fist of it his own backplates opened up to create two large metallic wings. Bringing the left hand back to his side slowly he then took the sabre from his right hand with his left and held out his right buster arm.  
"Yes..." he said as the buster unleashed a massive blast of plasma that flew towards Andolin like a rolling wave of hellfire.  
Andolin chuckled and held out his own buster cannon as a new aura surrounded it with a hum.  
The blast came roaring towards Andolin still and came about three inches from his cannon when suddenly an incredible blast filled the air.  
To watch in real time, the action would seem to occur in less than two seconds, slow it down however, and you would see what really happened.  
The blast loosed from Andolin's cannon shot out with superior ferocity and strength and slammed right into the center of Mithrandiel's blast...nulling it instantly as it cleared with a mist of smoke.  
Mithrandiel pushed off of one foot into the air and came down quickly for a sweeping slash, hoping to separate andolin's head from his body.  
Andolin brought up his left hand, blocking the slash with his sabre-dagger and bringing his right hand up towards Mithrandiel's middle. 


End file.
